Chris Maj for Mayor - News

www.rochestermayor.com <!--break--> <strong><font size="3">News Events Platform Pictures Downloads Contact About Links Red, White &amp; Blue Party City Council Candidates Harry Davis Max Kessler Chris Edes News -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Debate Coverage 17 August 2005 Thought I would just throw up a couple of links to the coverage of the televised debate from Monday. It will be rebroadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday on WXXI-AM 1370. Overall, I think I did well. Panelists labeled me as creative. I'll take that. Citizens quiz mayoral hopefuls Brian Sharp, D&amp;C Panelists: No clear winner among candidates James Goodman, D&amp;C &quot;Voice of the Voter&quot; Hears Mayoral Candidates Bud Lowell, WXXI Mayoral Candidates Give Views On Education WHAM channel 13 Detailed answers, please editorial, D&amp;C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unjust Burdens on Rochester's Small Businesses 11 August 2005 I prepared a brief position paper on the recent increased city &quot;certificate of use&quot; fees for small businesses. The law targets a variety of commercial activity and requires self-reporting of personal telephone records, social security numbers, current employees' past business dealings, and other private information. Yesterday evening, a small business owner organizing against these new regulations pointed out what excellent fodder they provide for identity theft. About thirty people were in attendance at the meeting in the Park Ave Pets Store at 993 Monroe Avenue. Earlier that afternoon, Max Kessler and I canvassed Monroe Avenue from Downtown to the Upper Monroe Neighborhood, handing out my position paper (which included a D&amp;C editorial I didn't write), hanging up campaign posters, and soliciting signatures. The vast majority of small businesses were extremely upset about these new regulations. What strikes me as particularly egregious about these new regulations is the justification: curtailing illegal activity. If anything should be illegal, it should be the government putting unfair roadblocks in the path of small businesses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Road Ahead For Inner Loop 9 August 2005 I fully admit that I wasn't the first to call for filling in the Inner Loop, but I might be the last! According to WHAM channel 13, &quot;city leaders announced that the US Congress has approved $2 million to raise parts if (sic) the highway and fill it in with restaurants and shops.&quot; It's excellent to see parts of my platform getting adopted even before I get elected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Events and T-shirts 8 August 2005 I will be all over the place this month. Come join the fun and get a cool t-shirt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maj who would be mayor 8 August 2005 The Democrat &amp; Chronicle's weekly young contemporary companion, The Insider, ran a piece last week which condenses several parts of my platform into a quick read. It was a pleasure talking with Nicole Lehner and smiling for Lisa Hughes a couple of weeks ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Java's Cafe 4 August 2005 We will be meeting at 5pm Friday, August 5th, in Java's Cafe at 16 Gibbs Street. More information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm a populist 4 August 2005 The local press calls me a libertarian, a liberal, and now a populist. It's at the end of the article on &quot;Yet Another Professional Politicians' Program to Feel-Good and Do-Nothing&quot; but is excellent nonetheless. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dems' long shot 4 August 2005 I sat down for an hour with Mary Anna Towler and Krestia DeGeorge from City Newspaper last week, and they ran excerpts from the interview in this week's issue. The online version goes into greater detail than the print version. I would offer that any suggestions of myself being &quot;uninformed about government&quot; could perhaps be more aptly phrased as &quot;disgusted about government.&quot; Regardless, a fine piece that helps make the distinction even clearer between myself -- a political outsider -- and my fellow candidates, who are all veterans of city government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rochester Cannabis Coalition Endorsement 4 August 2005 A big thanks to Dustin Fineout and the entire Rochester Cannabis Coalition (RCC) for their official endorsement of my campaign. I had the privilege of meeting Dustin during petitioning at the Public Market several weeks ago, and he is very much on top of his research into our nation's failed War on Drugs. The RCC recognizes that we can't keep arresting non-violent drug offenders, and that Drug Prohibition today presents the same problems as Alcohol Prohibition in the 1920s. The RCC is currently very focused on the issue of medical marijuana. They are working to bring medical marijuana patient Montel Williams to speak in Rochester this fall. I personally cannot fathom denying sick people medicine and calling it justice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FHF Rally 3 August 2005 Yesterday's rally of about fifty people showing support for Friends Helping Friends received some mainstream media coverage thanks to Rochester's own Rachel Barnhart. I spoke briefly on several points from a prepared speech but did not read it all aloud during the rally. I think Andrew Stankevich and Joy Powell did a great job -- once again -- in articulating the needs of those in this city who lack a voice. Their words and actions are always trying to lift people up. We need more of that in Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friends Helping Friends 1 August 2005 modified 2 August 2005 I will be speaking tomorrow afternoon at a rally at 304 Whitney Street to support Friends Helping Friends (FHF) in their campaign to keep their doors open at 367 Lyell Avenue. Each month, FHF distributes 50,000lbs. of groceries, clothing, household items, cooked meals and other supplies to thousands of people out of its warehouse at 367 Lyell Avenue, as well as at St. Francis Xavier Church at 316 Bay Street every week. According to FHF, Mr. Bruno Coccia, the owner of Microera Printers and 367 Lyell Avenue, is in the process of evicting FHF to take advantage of building improvements FHF made to 367 Lyell Avenue. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Stankevich, the Executive Director of FHF, last week following the Interfaith Action Forum. I very much admire the work Andrew is doing to feed hungry people in Rochester. The problem is not that we lack food in this country, it's just that the distribution system is failing to meet the needs of the people. Andrew is working to correct that deficiency and feed people every day. The FHF should not be evicted from 367 Lyell Avenue. They're doing too much good development work for the community. In spite of this, Mr. Coccia wants to evict the FHF. Worse yet, according to the FHF, Mr. Coccia is in default on a $50,000 taxpayer funded loan provided thru the Rochester Economic Development Corporation (REDCO.) The landlord, Mr. Bruno Coccia, used the building at 367 Lyell Avenue for collateral on this loan. This is corporate welfare at its absolute lowest. If the loan is in fact in default, the City of Rochester should immediately foreclose on 367 Lyell Avenue and sell it to FHF or use eminent domain to seize the property because FHF does good for the public. That is the just solution to this situation, and it's perfectly legal for the City to do it. UPDATE: According to at least one source in City Hall and Mr. Coccia, I was informed that the REDCO loan is not in default. However, an investigation is still underway into the finer details of the loan and also other allegations made by FHF against Mr. Coccia. UPDATE: Although the extremely low-interest, taxpayer subsidized loan is not in default according to the generous payment plan given to Greece resident Mr. Coccia, that does not mean the loan is not in default because of a violation of other conditions of the loan. Namely, the lack of any positive economic development on the part of Mr. Coccia. Please note that the City Law Department is investigating further. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interfaith Action Forum Tonight 28 July 2005 I will be seated alongside the other mayoral candidates at tonight's forum held by the Interfaith Action group, &quot;a federation of congregations organizing for the common good.&quot; It starts at 7pm at St. Luke &amp; St. Simon Cyrene Episcopal Church, 17 South Fitzhugh Street, Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printable Posters 28 July 2005 I finally put some posters together on the new downloads page, along with my campaign speeches. These posters will look great in the back window of your car, the bedroom window, telephone poles, utility boxes, small business store fronts, and anywhere in between. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farcically Romantic Renaissance Rectal-Angle Meeting 27 July 2005 The Red, White &amp; Blue Party tried holding a press conference yesterday outside the second open meeting of the &quot;RenSquare&quot; planning team. Unfortunately, the location we chose outside the suburban Monroe Community College campus building was not a designated campus free speech zone. We were actually threatened with arrest for trespassing on a community college campus if we talked to the press about the &quot;RenSquare&quot; outside the &quot;official&quot; meeting area. Inside, the meeting drew a sparse crowd, which I think is exactly what the organizers wanted. Public input goes in one ear and right out the other with these people, so the less they have to listen to, the better. Anything that interrupts their feeding at the pork barrel trough is ignored. After all, they're spending $230M of your taxpayer dollars -- do you think they want you to know the details ? So I kept asking, &quot;Before you build this underground bus stop, are you planning to actually talk to anybody who rides the bus ?&quot; and &quot;Have you considered holding a meeting downtown by the Liberty Pole -- where people wait for the bus now ?&quot; The latter met with a deer in headlights look as they asked me where the Liberty Pole was. In their defense, judging by the stagnation of thought in the room, I think they all knew where to get long poles and rods for shoving. And free speech being a foreign concept to the management, it's no small wonder they didn't recognize the word liberty when it left my lips. I hope to give a modified version of my speech scheduled for yesterday at a future point in time. Probably when I lay down in front of a wrecking ball or bulldozer at the start of construction of &quot;RenSquare.&quot; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shift power over to ordinary people 26 July 2005 The following opinion was written by me and published in last Sunday's paper. The biggest barrier to progress is inertia. The low turnover rate of Rochester's elected officials -- who all cater to themselves -- moves Rochester backward year after year. Power needs to be taken back by the people so that the institution of government can eventually be dismantled. On my Web site at www.RochesterMayor.com, I propose in my online platform several ideas and solutions on the topic of democracy. These ideas are also available by telephone at (585) 413-4774 via an interactive voice response system. They are: Voters under my administration will be given the ability to write their own laws. To have their proposed law placed on the ballot, they will need a petition that is signed by just 1 percent of their peers. Voters, likewise, will be given the ability to propose the repeal of any law by petitioning for a referendum on that proposed repeal. Voters will be given the ability to fire any elected official via the recall power. Term limits of 10 years will be implemented in an effort to reduce the laziness of City Council members. Limits would extend to all elected city officials. That way, no one person could ever hold any combination of positions for more than 10 years. Such &quot;super term limits&quot; would force all elected city officials to act on behalf of everyday constituents -- instead of their wealthy campaign contributors. In conclusion, I look forward to a future of more direct democratic empowerment for all citizens of the enlightened city of Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Red, White &amp; Blue Party Takes On RenSquare Do any of these professional politicians actually ride the bus ? 25 July 2005 PRESS RELEASE 31k PDF download July 25, Rochester: Tomorrow, July 26th, at a 4:30pm press conference on the Monroe Community College's Henrietta, New York, campus, a new independent political party will introduce its candidates for Rochester Mayor and City Council. Founding members of the Red, White &amp; Blue Party are Chris Maj, a candidate for Mayor of Rochester; Harry Davis and Max Kessler, both candidates for the Rochester City Council. All three will be introducing their ideas on public transportation in parking lot M, just outside the Second Renaissance Square Open House Workshop being held at the same time in the Forum of the R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center. &quot;With the recent suggestions of the Urban Land Institute, it is clear: objective and informed observers have confirmed what I have been saying all along about the Renaissance Square in my campaign for City Council. The proposed bus garage at Main &amp; Clinton is in the wrong place with the wrong configuration. It must not be at Main &amp; Clinton. It must at another location,&quot; says Davis. &quot;I'm a candidate for City Council running on a platform of responsible government. Quite frankly, spending over $230M tax dollars on a bus stop is just plain irresponsible,&quot; says Kessler. &quot;I think the money would be much better spent on building more sheltered bus stops around town -- at a fraction of the cost of tearing down a couple of skyscrapers and digging a huge hole underneath. I love Rochester's beautiful four seasons, but I rode the bus for several winters, and it's not fun waiting in a snow storm outside without shelter,&quot; says Maj, a candidate for Mayor. Maj will appear on the Democratic Mayoral Primary in September in addition to the Red, White &amp; Blue Party line in November's election. More information can be found at www.RochesterMayor.com, www.Harry-Davis.com, and www.MaxKessler.org - END - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red, White &amp; Blue Party 23 July 2005 In order to provide city voters with a choice for change in the November election, Harry Davis, Max Kessler, and I have joined together to run under an independent party. Harry and Max will run for City Council, and I will run for Mayor. The new Red, White &amp; Blue Party chooses a horse, of course, for its party logo. We will need to collect 1,500 signatures by August 23rd, and we will again need your help. You will need to be a registered voter in New York to help us. To sign the petition, you need to live in Rochester. Also, you must not have signed somebody else's petition this year before now -- including mine as a Democrat a couple of weeks ago. This is an excellent opportunity for the independents and no-party folks to help out. You can both sign and carry our petition. Please email me to get a copy of the petition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maj will join mayoral primary 20 July 2005 &quot;The Democratic candidates for Rochester mayor will not challenge liberal Chris Maj's attempt to join them on the primary ballot -- making way for a four-person race for the party's nomination.&quot; Writes Joe Spector in today's paper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monroe County Bill of Rights Defense Committee 20 July 2005 I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday with the Monroe BORDC, a fine group of citizens working to save our civil liberties from the onslaught of the Patriot Act. Unfortunately, this week the President and Congress are trying to make this horrible piece of legislation permanent. The sun needs to set on these provisions that directly opppose the Bill of Rights. I remarked to the BORDC that this country started out so cool in a number of ways, and it would be horrible to let it go to waste. Of course it wasn't all roses and gumballs at the beginning, but there are some really lasting ideas I truly believe in which make America great. I don't think that we can blame just Republicans, either. In many ways, the Democrats and Republicans are the same party. They both voted for this Orwellian set of restrictions on civil liberties known as the Patriot Act. I would encourage everyone to take ten seconds and sign the Monroe BORDC online petition to support defending the Bill of Rights. Thanks to the Monroe BORDC for pointing out the following about certain sections of the Patriot Act (I recommend contacting them for a more complete list)... Section 203 violates Amendment IV. It permits law enforcement to give the CIA sensitive information gathered in criminal investigations including wiretaps and internet tapping. No court order is required. CIA may share the information with other agencies and with foreign governments. Section 213 violates Amendment IV. It permits the government to search your home with no one present and to delay notification indefinitely. Court may authorize delay notification &quot;if the court finds reasonable cause to believe that providing immediate notification...may have adverse results.&quot; Unlike the former &quot;knock and announce&quot; policy, a person whose home is to be searched cannot view the warrant to make sure the address is correct or to make sure that the agent adheres to the warrant's description of what is to be searched. Section 215 violates Amendment I. It permits the FBI director to seek records from bookstores and libraries of books that a person suspected of terrorism has purchased or read, or of his or her activities on a library's computer. It also places a gag order to prevent anyone from disclosing that they have been ordered to produce such documents. Puts people at risk for excercising their free speech rights to read, recommend or to discuss a book or to write an email. Also denies booksellers and library personnel the free speech right to inform anyone, including an attorney, that the FBI has asked for someone's reading list. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rump Group Responses 18 July 2005 I was contacted by the Rump Group to provide information on my mayoral campaign and ideas on several specific issues. Here are my answers to their questions. The responses from all the mayoral candidates will be published on their site in the near future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't let suburbanites own property in city 18 July 2005 The following is from my letter to the editor published in today's Democrat and Chronicle: In response to the July 11 letter &quot;Let all who own land in city vote there,&quot; I would instead encourage all who own land in the city to live there. I think this is a better idea than letting the rich vote twice. I firmly believe in the president's suggestion that we should encourage an &quot;ownership society.&quot; In my campaign for mayor, I offer the fresh idea that residential city property held by noncity residents should be turned over to the local tenants and neighborhood associations. Suburban landlords don't have to deal with the plywood curtains and lead paint on a daily basis. It would be far better for the community if residents owned their own homes. The &quot;ownership society&quot; can come about through offering young people homesteading options, providing just compensation for reclaimed properties and more direct private home sales. CHRIS MAJ ROCHESTER The writer has circulated petitions that would enable him to run for mayor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shut Out of the WHAM Debate 15 July 2005 Despite being on the front page of today's paper and multiple calls to WHAM to get on the show today, I'm getting the shaft. A friend called in to ask where I was (thanks, Paula :), and one of the co-hosts Bill Nojay made up a few quotes for me. I didn't hear the whole bit, so I can't quote exactly. Unfortunately, instead of being given the opportunity to participate and offer my ideas, I'm stuck on hold. This confirms part of my platform on transportation: Bill Nojay is a tool. Getting back to the point, the WHAM debate today was on crime. Over and over, the candidates offered the same solution, which was to get tough on crime by putting more police on the streets. But we need to get smart on crime. Shutting down drug houses one-by-one using violent actions is not the answer. It's more BS from the same failed pattern of thought that dominates the discussion. This War on Drugs is a failure. Shut down one drug house and another opens a block over. Why ? Because that's where the money is. We have to take the profit out of the operation. The arms race between the police and the dealers will continue until we recognize that simple fact. Spending a few million dollars to build another police station will only escalate the violence. I'm being hung up on now because the show is almost over. I've been offered a spot early next week on Lonsberry's regular broadcast after he gets back from vacation. We'll see. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAM Radio Debate Tomorrow 14 July 2005 By filing the necessary signatures to get on the ballot, I also earned a spot in tomorrow's debate on WHAM 1180 AM. The show airs from 11a-2p, Friday, July 15th. My fellow candidates and I are going to call in by phone. There should be press conference coverage on R-News (cable) all afternoon and tonight on Sinclair/Fox news at 10 on WUHF 31. They both attended this afternoon, along with WXXI 1370 AM public radio which airs news on the hour. WHAM is carring hourly coverage of a phone conversation I had with the news directory Randy Gorbman just before the press conference. And Joe Spector from the Democrat &amp; Chronicle includes me in the top of an overview of the primary petition filings. Harry Davis and I filed 1,500 signatures this afternoon before the five o'clock deadline. Only 1,000 were required for a spot on the ballot. UPDATE: This is awesome. The paper says I'm a liberal, and the radio says I'm a libertarian. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Bastille Day 14 July 2005 At today's press conference, I will deliver a brief speech (PDF) about turning our prisons into gardens and schools. There's lots to learn about green roofs and vertical farms. I think both offer unique opportunities for moving the city forward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petitioning Almost Over 12 July 2005 Harry Davis and I will be submitting our 1,000+ signatures for a spot on the September ballot at a 12 noon press conference on Thursday, July 14th, on the South Plymouth Avenue bridge over Route 490. The backdrop will be the last skyscraper to be built in Rochester for the past twenty years. That's right, the new jail. At a time when we are shutting down our schools, I will ask the question, &quot;By closing schools and opening prisons, are we sending the wrong message to our children ?&quot; Please join us. Also, if you have yet to return your petitions to me, please do so ASAP. Thanks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Debate Cancelled 11 July 2005 Due to concerns stemming from the shootings of two 12-year-olds over the weekend in the 14621 zip code -- one fatal, and one a girl seriously injured after being shot by police -- I was informed by the Group 14621 that the debate has been postponed indefinitely. This cycle of violence is destroying the city, and our prayers go out to the families of the victims. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My First Debate 11 July 2005 I will be doing my best to participate as a candidate in tonight's mayoral debate sponsored by the Group 14621 and held inside School #8 at 1180 St. Paul Street. It starts at 6:30, and I've gotten permission to attend and announce my presence. Although I might not be on the &quot;official&quot; panel, at least I will have the opportunity to answer questions from the audience and share my ideas to move the city forward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corn Hill Confusion 11 July 2005 Here's a quick heads-up to anyone planning to exercise free speech on the streets at the Corn Hill Arts Festival (CHAF) and appeal to the public for signatures: DON'T DO IT. While you will see lots of dogs and bicycles amidst the signs that say &quot;no pets&quot; and &quot;no bikes,&quot; you won't see any signs that say &quot;no soliciting&quot; although it's not allowed. Strangely enough, I was allowed to solicit signatures on the street from 10-6 on Saturday, the first day of the festival. I was even asked by a member of CHAF management to move my portable lemonade stand back from the curb and onto the sidewalk. No problems there. I didn't pay for a stand, but I do live in the neighborhood so it was a fair compromise. By Sunday at 2:30 -- with the festival ending at 5 -- a couple other members of the CHAF management decided to change the rules. I was no longer going to be allowed to hand out my campaign card on the street -- a street closed to traffic all weekend. The CHAF ladies become verbally hostile after I requested to see the rule change in writing. They offered to provide it in writing on Monday. Even more bizarre was my brief discussion with a woman from the excellent organization Chill The Fill. They're working to get petition signatures to save the old subway from being filled in with dirt. Their bright yellow t-shirts with giant &quot;chill the fill&quot; in black letters really stick out in a crowd. However, the CHAF management wouldn't allow them to initiate contact with the public -- they could only respond to specific verbal requests from those passing by. Fortunately, it was a wonderful weekend overall. Friends, debates, and BBQs; with fond memories of the laughs and jokes shared among the fun people who were walking down my street. Here's a typical exchange with the many guests from out of town: &quot;Hi, I'm Chris Maj and I'm running for mayor of Rochester.&quot; &quot;Sorry, but we don't live in the city.&quot; &quot;Well, thanks for visiting. Isn't it beautiful here ? When I get elected, you'll have to move back -- we've got plenty of room.&quot; laughter... &quot;Thanks, we will !&quot; -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Smith Radio Show 7 July 2005 I'll be on WXXI 1370 AM tomorrow from 12-1 during Bob Smith's public affairs program. The show website is quite flattering in its description: &quot;The latest (and most maverick) entrant into the mayor's race, Chris Maj.&quot; There is a live stream that I'm not able to get to work, but the broadcast is also replayed again starting at 9pm in case your Friday night needs a little spark. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rochester Royalty 4 July 2005 As we celebrate our independence from the monarchs of old, I think we've lost something in the blurring of the line between the elected head of the executive branch and the duties of a sovereign figurehead. The mayor should not spend his or her days cutting ribbons, handing out plaques, and holding shovels at construction sites. The mayor should be working -- instead of posing for cameras. I'm not saying we should bring back the Queen of England, but I think we can employ our own hometown royalty like Miss Greater Rochester or the Lilac Queen to represent the city at ostentatious and perfunctory events. Coupled with a modest salary, these positions would offer wonderful opportunities for showcasing Rochester on an international stage, in addition to attending local social happenings on behalf of the mayor's office. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People For A Better Bus Station 30 June 2005 Downtown revitalization is everybody's goal, but some plans for it seem to come from people who never actually go downtown. Currently, one such poorly planned project for which our local politicians are begging at the trough for pork money is the romantic Renaissance Square. It cobbles together a college campus, a performing arts center, and a bus station because this is the magic recipe for receiving federal transportation money. Unfortunately, the career politicians decided that this project should proceed without citizen feedback until the last throes of the architectual design phase. I don't think they would've allowed for even that much leeway if it weren't for the persistent efforts of the activist group People For A Better Bus Station. The PFABBS highlights several of the concerns and alternate solutions available for addressing Rochester's transportation needs. Personally, I don't understand the acoustic logic of putting a performing arts center directly above thirtysome busses. And who wants to breath all those exhaust fumes while waiting for a bus or a concert ? I think the money would be much better spent on building more sheltered bus stops around town -- at a fraction of the cost of tearing down a couple of skyscrapers and digging a huge hole underneath. I love Rochester's beautiful four seasons, but I rode the bus for several winters, and it's not fun waiting in a snow storm outside without shelter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harry Davis for City Council 28 June 2005 Harry Davis is a fellow Democrat running for an At-Large seat on the Rochester City Council. He and I met at the Public Market over the weekend, and we quickly struck a chord. Since we share and enjoy so many ideas, we've decided to combine our efforts during the primary campaign by placing both our names at the top of the nominating petitions. This makes a signature for one of us a signature for both of us. We agree on issues like the need for finding local renewable energy sources, the failure of the War on Drugs, and the need to re-plan the underground bus terminal. Harry's campaign website contains a very full autobiography highlighting his political experience. We both need one thousand signatures to get on the ballot, and we could definitely use your help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXTRA! EXTRA! 25 June 2005 Today's edition of the local Gannett daily the Democrat and Chronicle features a decorous article by local political reporter Joe Spector about my campaign. To show solidarity with Joe, I would encourage you to visit the site of the Newspaper Guild of Rochester -- the local reporters have been working without a collective bargaining agreement for the past twelve years. You can also sign their online petition to demonstrate your support. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eminent Domain 23 June 2005 The Supreme Court handed down a ruling today that re-affirms the rights of cities to take private land when it will benefit the public. Although spelled incorrectly in my platform, this practice of eminent domain is what I'm arguing for in regards to taking property from suburban landlords and giving it to the city tenants. Oddly, my idea does not get as radical as the Supreme Court ruling. As highlighted in the CNN/AP article, the accepted requirement for taking property seemed to be that it must be considered blighted. I wanted to open that definition to include property that people could care less about instead of waiting until it was completely run down into a crack house before doing something. This ruling goes well past that requirement. My opinion is that a suburban landlord cares about one thing from their city tenants -- making money. Since they aren't living next door and aren't forced to deal with the problems on a daily basis, then they ignore everything else -- except making money. Of course this doesn't mean every landlord is a slumlord, but in many cases, I think it would be a lot better if the two lived in the same neighborhood or at least the same city. Thanks to the Supreme Court ruling today, that idea -- that hurdle -- got a lot easier to cross. The challenge now lies in making sure that a government run by the people is in charge of redistributing land and not rich industrialists. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welfare and Sprawl 20 June 2005 Maggie Brooks is paying a private company $5 million of your tax dollars to move from Farmington to Henrietta because the government knows no shame. Why not move to the beautiful City of Rochester, where the company wouldn't need $5 million in corporate welfare to build a new building, but could instead occupy an empty building for much, much less ? I don't understand folks who gut social welfare programs that help people in favor of paying CEOs of giant transnational corporations to build a new building or two every few years. The only way it makes sense is if some of that money gets back into their own pockets. For the most part, the money is gone and will never again move thru the community. And next year, Ontario County will cough up $6 million for Unisys to lure them right back. If they beg enough in Albany, maybe they'll get really lucky and New York State will fork over half the extortion fee for them. Where's the invisible hand ? Is this the free market or state sponsored capitalism ? I think giving away tax money to companies to create jobs hurts us in the long run. At the very least, the companies on the dole must accept some form of public control of their operations. We already do that for social welfare and corporate welfare is no different. You can't stay on unemployment unless you're looking for a job and you can't keep getting food stamps if you make too much money. Companies should have to pay back what they took (with interest) and allow inspectors to monitor their finances to prevent the money from being spent recklessly. After all, it's your money ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brother Wease mp3 downloads 16 June 2005 Here's some low-quality mp3 clips from this morning's radio show with Brother Wease: part1 part2. I was on the air for almost an hour and a half, but I didn't say much in the last half hour because there were lots of other guests, so that's not included in these downloads. I burned some CDs with much better quality audio, too. Overall, my platform met fairly positive reception -- although it seemed a little touch-and-go at the beginning. We started with sprawl and controversy ensued over the re-appropriation of slum lord land holdings, but this is a fairly controversial point. Then Skippy from Family Ties called in to the show to talk to Brother Wease, so that was of course quite an event. The remaining minutes of the first half hour moved onto crime and drug prohibition, briefly to transportation, and then fiscal policies, in particular, taxing of sex workers. I managed to plug the website right before I thought I was to leave, but Brother Wease said I could stay longer. The second half hour features a very confused caller who strives for moralistically (sic) sound government. Everyone takes turns pouncing on this marshmallow debater, and I get to sneak in a few jabs against that fuck nut in the White House, too :) Guests started piling in for the last half hour, and there was really no more discussion of my campaign. I managed to weigh in with my preference for Montel over Oprah, made a claim that Lyndsay Lohan (sp? cause I care) was manufactured by Disney, and joined a little light discussion of hobby model rocketry. Hopefully, I'll get invited back after the campaign moves a little further along. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 June 2005 I'll be on Radio Free Wease Thursday morning, June 16, at 7:30 to talk about the campaign. For viewers outside the Rochester area, although I don't think there's a live audio stream, you can watch the studio web cam at the above link. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 June 2005 Perennial city council member and mayoral candidate Tim Mains decided yesterday that he supports a casino at High Falls inside the old Beebee station power plant. Of course, watching the city slide backwards for the past twenty years he's been in office gave him a lot of time to think about silly ideas like this. What kind of crazy wants to sit at a slot machine inside a smoke stack ? Is the factory atmosphere something that recreational gamblers enjoy or will it just remind them of where they used to work before all the jobs left town ? Beebee station once made power, and it can do it again. We can re-use the plant as a municipal hydrogen fuel cell production facility to fuel cars with water instead of gas, make Rochester energy independent, and create high-paying industrial jobs. According to researchers at RIT, &quot;its renovation for hydropower production via a restored water wheel and generator could feed a fuel cell electrolyzer, which converts water into hydrogen and oxygen.&quot; By creating our own renewable energy, we can stop relying on forty-year-old nuclear reactors and oil-soaked military dictatorships. Turning Rochester into a self-sufficient city must be the goal of city government -- and that requires energy independence. It's time to let the mighty Genesee spin our wheels again by turning water into power. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 June 2005 Fellow mayoral hopeful Wade Norwood was attacking another contender yesterday, Bob Duffy, over the latter's re-organization of the police force. Norwood thinks it made the city less safe. &quot;Bob Duffy's decision to close police stations for Rochester was wrong,&quot; says Norwood. What's actually making Rochester less safe are career politicians like Norwood and Duffy. Their elitism leaves no room for looking beyond their own egos. What the city needs is another perspective -- a fresh point of view. And to start off fresh, the city needs to reconsider the parameters around the debate about crime. Obviously, whether the rate is up or down, the general consensus is that less is better than more. That's where we've got to start, yet the current discussion is not at that place. It's not from there; it's from far beyond the petty soundbites of the other candidates. In the latest Norwood-Duffy cat fight over in Swillburg, it would seem appropriate to start some questioning with a victimless crime: Does crime include phsyical, mental, property damage, a combination, or something else entirely ? When a citizen solicits the services of a sex worker, and both parties consent freely to the business transaction, how is it the government's business to label that a crime ? What are the trade offs when we pay lip service to taking freedom away from another life -- even if it's justified, who pays for cable TV in prison ? Why should we waste limited city police resources enforcing moral standards on the general population ? For example, if Rochester were to tax and regulate the adult entertainment industry, it would be a tremendous boon to the economy. The revenue could provide health care for those involved with and doing business in the industry. With regulation, it would be much safer for everyone involved, in particular with respect to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases beyond the tax-paying customers. With proper marketing, it could provide opportunities for discrete tourism from Toronto and draw suburban residents back into the community because it's safer here to do business. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 June 2005 Signature collection begins for the primary elections. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 June 2005 Website launched. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pronunciation Guide: Maj == May == Mayor</font></strong>

<p><a href="http://www.rochestermayor.com">www.rochestermayor.com</a></p> <!--break--><p><strong><font size="3">News Events Platform Pictures Downloads Contact About Links Red, White &amp; Blue Party City Council Candidates Harry Davis Max Kessler Chris Edes News -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Debate Coverage 17 August 2005 Thought I would just throw up a couple of links to the coverage of the televised debate from Monday. It will be rebroadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday on WXXI-AM 1370. Overall, I think I did well. Panelists labeled me as creative. I'll take that. Citizens quiz mayoral hopefuls Brian Sharp, D&amp;C Panelists: No clear winner among candidates James Goodman, D&amp;C "Voice of the Voter" Hears Mayoral Candidates Bud Lowell, WXXI Mayoral Candidates Give Views On Education WHAM channel 13 Detailed answers, please editorial, D&amp;C -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unjust Burdens on Rochester's Small Businesses 11 August 2005 I prepared a brief position paper on the recent increased city "certificate of use" fees for small businesses. The law targets a variety of commercial activity and requires self-reporting of personal telephone records, social security numbers, current employees' past business dealings, and other private information. Yesterday evening, a small business owner organizing against these new regulations pointed out what excellent fodder they provide for identity theft. About thirty people were in attendance at the meeting in the Park Ave Pets Store at 993 Monroe Avenue. Earlier that afternoon, Max Kessler and I canvassed Monroe Avenue from Downtown to the Upper Monroe Neighborhood, handing out my position paper (which included a D&amp;C editorial I didn't write), hanging up campaign posters, and soliciting signatures. The vast majority of small businesses were extremely upset about these new regulations. What strikes me as particularly egregious about these new regulations is the justification: curtailing illegal activity. If anything should be illegal, it should be the government putting unfair roadblocks in the path of small businesses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Road Ahead For Inner Loop 9 August 2005 I fully admit that I wasn't the first to call for filling in the Inner Loop, but I might be the last! According to WHAM channel 13, "city leaders announced that the US Congress has approved $2 million to raise parts if (sic) the highway and fill it in with restaurants and shops." It's excellent to see parts of my platform getting adopted even before I get elected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Events and T-shirts 8 August 2005 I will be all over the place this month. Come join the fun and get a cool t-shirt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maj who would be mayor 8 August 2005 The Democrat &amp; Chronicle's weekly young contemporary companion, The Insider, ran a piece last week which condenses several parts of my platform into a quick read. It was a pleasure talking with Nicole Lehner and smiling for Lisa Hughes a couple of weeks ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Java's Cafe 4 August 2005 We will be meeting at 5pm Friday, August 5th, in Java's Cafe at 16 Gibbs Street. More information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm a populist 4 August 2005 The local press calls me a libertarian, a liberal, and now a populist. It's at the end of the article on "Yet Another Professional Politicians' Program to Feel-Good and Do-Nothing" but is excellent nonetheless. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dems' long shot 4 August 2005 I sat down for an hour with Mary Anna Towler and Krestia DeGeorge from City Newspaper last week, and they ran excerpts from the interview in this week's issue. The online version goes into greater detail than the print version. I would offer that any suggestions of myself being "uninformed about government" could perhaps be more aptly phrased as "disgusted about government." Regardless, a fine piece that helps make the distinction even clearer between myself -- a political outsider -- and my fellow candidates, who are all veterans of city government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rochester Cannabis Coalition Endorsement 4 August 2005 A big thanks to Dustin Fineout and the entire Rochester Cannabis Coalition (RCC) for their official endorsement of my campaign. I had the privilege of meeting Dustin during petitioning at the Public Market several weeks ago, and he is very much on top of his research into our nation's failed War on Drugs. The RCC recognizes that we can't keep arresting non-violent drug offenders, and that Drug Prohibition today presents the same problems as Alcohol Prohibition in the 1920s. The RCC is currently very focused on the issue of medical marijuana. They are working to bring medical marijuana patient Montel Williams to speak in Rochester this fall. I personally cannot fathom denying sick people medicine and calling it justice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FHF Rally 3 August 2005 Yesterday's rally of about fifty people showing support for Friends Helping Friends received some mainstream media coverage thanks to Rochester's own Rachel Barnhart. I spoke briefly on several points from a prepared speech but did not read it all aloud during the rally. I think Andrew Stankevich and Joy Powell did a great job -- once again -- in articulating the needs of those in this city who lack a voice. Their words and actions are always trying to lift people up. We need more of that in Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friends Helping Friends 1 August 2005 modified 2 August 2005 I will be speaking tomorrow afternoon at a rally at 304 Whitney Street to support Friends Helping Friends (FHF) in their campaign to keep their doors open at 367 Lyell Avenue. Each month, FHF distributes 50,000lbs. of groceries, clothing, household items, cooked meals and other supplies to thousands of people out of its warehouse at 367 Lyell Avenue, as well as at St. Francis Xavier Church at 316 Bay Street every week. According to FHF, Mr. Bruno Coccia, the owner of Microera Printers and 367 Lyell Avenue, is in the process of evicting FHF to take advantage of building improvements FHF made to 367 Lyell Avenue. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Stankevich, the Executive Director of FHF, last week following the Interfaith Action Forum. I very much admire the work Andrew is doing to feed hungry people in Rochester. The problem is not that we lack food in this country, it's just that the distribution system is failing to meet the needs of the people. Andrew is working to correct that deficiency and feed people every day. The FHF should not be evicted from 367 Lyell Avenue. They're doing too much good development work for the community. In spite of this, Mr. Coccia wants to evict the FHF. Worse yet, according to the FHF, Mr. Coccia is in default on a $50,000 taxpayer funded loan provided thru the Rochester Economic Development Corporation (REDCO.) The landlord, Mr. Bruno Coccia, used the building at 367 Lyell Avenue for collateral on this loan. This is corporate welfare at its absolute lowest. If the loan is in fact in default, the City of Rochester should immediately foreclose on 367 Lyell Avenue and sell it to FHF or use eminent domain to seize the property because FHF does good for the public. That is the just solution to this situation, and it's perfectly legal for the City to do it. UPDATE: According to at least one source in City Hall and Mr. Coccia, I was informed that the REDCO loan is not in default. However, an investigation is still underway into the finer details of the loan and also other allegations made by FHF against Mr. Coccia. UPDATE: Although the extremely low-interest, taxpayer subsidized loan is not in default according to the generous payment plan given to Greece resident Mr. Coccia, that does not mean the loan is not in default because of a violation of other conditions of the loan. Namely, the lack of any positive economic development on the part of Mr. Coccia. Please note that the City Law Department is investigating further. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interfaith Action Forum Tonight 28 July 2005 I will be seated alongside the other mayoral candidates at tonight's forum held by the Interfaith Action group, "a federation of congregations organizing for the common good." It starts at 7pm at St. Luke &amp; St. Simon Cyrene Episcopal Church, 17 South Fitzhugh Street, Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printable Posters 28 July 2005 I finally put some posters together on the new downloads page, along with my campaign speeches. These posters will look great in the back window of your car, the bedroom window, telephone poles, utility boxes, small business store fronts, and anywhere in between. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farcically Romantic Renaissance Rectal-Angle Meeting 27 July 2005 The Red, White &amp; Blue Party tried holding a press conference yesterday outside the second open meeting of the "RenSquare" planning team. Unfortunately, the location we chose outside the suburban Monroe Community College campus building was not a designated campus free speech zone. We were actually threatened with arrest for trespassing on a community college campus if we talked to the press about the "RenSquare" outside the "official" meeting area. Inside, the meeting drew a sparse crowd, which I think is exactly what the organizers wanted. Public input goes in one ear and right out the other with these people, so the less they have to listen to, the better. Anything that interrupts their feeding at the pork barrel trough is ignored. After all, they're spending $230M of your taxpayer dollars -- do you think they want you to know the details ? So I kept asking, "Before you build this underground bus stop, are you planning to actually talk to anybody who rides the bus ?" and "Have you considered holding a meeting downtown by the Liberty Pole -- where people wait for the bus now ?" The latter met with a deer in headlights look as they asked me where the Liberty Pole was. In their defense, judging by the stagnation of thought in the room, I think they all knew where to get long poles and rods for shoving. And free speech being a foreign concept to the management, it's no small wonder they didn't recognize the word liberty when it left my lips. I hope to give a modified version of my speech scheduled for yesterday at a future point in time. Probably when I lay down in front of a wrecking ball or bulldozer at the start of construction of "RenSquare." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shift power over to ordinary people 26 July 2005 The following opinion was written by me and published in last Sunday's paper. The biggest barrier to progress is inertia. The low turnover rate of Rochester's elected officials -- who all cater to themselves -- moves Rochester backward year after year. Power needs to be taken back by the people so that the institution of government can eventually be dismantled. On my Web site at <a href="http://www.RochesterMayor.com">www.RochesterMayor.com</a>, I propose in my online platform several ideas and solutions on the topic of democracy. These ideas are also available by telephone at (585) 413-4774 via an interactive voice response system. They are: Voters under my administration will be given the ability to write their own laws. To have their proposed law placed on the ballot, they will need a petition that is signed by just 1 percent of their peers. Voters, likewise, will be given the ability to propose the repeal of any law by petitioning for a referendum on that proposed repeal. Voters will be given the ability to fire any elected official via the recall power. Term limits of 10 years will be implemented in an effort to reduce the laziness of City Council members. Limits would extend to all elected city officials. That way, no one person could ever hold any combination of positions for more than 10 years. Such "super term limits" would force all elected city officials to act on behalf of everyday constituents -- instead of their wealthy campaign contributors. In conclusion, I look forward to a future of more direct democratic empowerment for all citizens of the enlightened city of Rochester. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Red, White &amp; Blue Party Takes On RenSquare Do any of these professional politicians actually ride the bus ? 25 July 2005 PRESS RELEASE 31k PDF download July 25, Rochester: Tomorrow, July 26th, at a 4:30pm press conference on the Monroe Community College's Henrietta, New York, campus, a new independent political party will introduce its candidates for Rochester Mayor and City Council. Founding members of the Red, White &amp; Blue Party are Chris Maj, a candidate for Mayor of Rochester; Harry Davis and Max Kessler, both candidates for the Rochester City Council. All three will be introducing their ideas on public transportation in parking lot M, just outside the Second Renaissance Square Open House Workshop being held at the same time in the Forum of the R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center. "With the recent suggestions of the Urban Land Institute, it is clear: objective and informed observers have confirmed what I have been saying all along about the Renaissance Square in my campaign for City Council. The proposed bus garage at Main &amp; Clinton is in the wrong place with the wrong configuration. It must not be at Main &amp; Clinton. It must at another location," says Davis. "I'm a candidate for City Council running on a platform of responsible government. Quite frankly, spending over $230M tax dollars on a bus stop is just plain irresponsible," says Kessler. "I think the money would be much better spent on building more sheltered bus stops around town -- at a fraction of the cost of tearing down a couple of skyscrapers and digging a huge hole underneath. I love Rochester's beautiful four seasons, but I rode the bus for several winters, and it's not fun waiting in a snow storm outside without shelter," says Maj, a candidate for Mayor. Maj will appear on the Democratic Mayoral Primary in September in addition to the Red, White &amp; Blue Party line in November's election. More information can be found at <a href="http://www.RochesterMayor.com">www.RochesterMayor.com</a>, <a href="http://www.Harry-Davis.com">www.Harry-Davis.com</a>, and <a href="http://www.MaxKessler.org">www.MaxKessler.org</a> - END - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red, White &amp; Blue Party 23 July 2005 In order to provide city voters with a choice for change in the November election, Harry Davis, Max Kessler, and I have joined together to run under an independent party. Harry and Max will run for City Council, and I will run for Mayor. The new Red, White &amp; Blue Party chooses a horse, of course, for its party logo. We will need to collect 1,500 signatures by August 23rd, and we will again need your help. You will need to be a registered voter in New York to help us. To sign the petition, you need to live in Rochester. Also, you must not have signed somebody else's petition this year before now -- including mine as a Democrat a couple of weeks ago. This is an excellent opportunity for the independents and no-party folks to help out. You can both sign and carry our petition. Please email me to get a copy of the petition. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maj will join mayoral primary 20 July 2005 "The Democratic candidates for Rochester mayor will not challenge liberal Chris Maj's attempt to join them on the primary ballot -- making way for a four-person race for the party's nomination." Writes Joe Spector in today's paper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monroe County Bill of Rights Defense Committee 20 July 2005 I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday with the Monroe BORDC, a fine group of citizens working to save our civil liberties from the onslaught of the Patriot Act. Unfortunately, this week the President and Congress are trying to make this horrible piece of legislation permanent. The sun needs to set on these provisions that directly opppose the Bill of Rights. I remarked to the BORDC that this country started out so cool in a number of ways, and it would be horrible to let it go to waste. Of course it wasn't all roses and gumballs at the beginning, but there are some really lasting ideas I truly believe in which make America great. I don't think that we can blame just Republicans, either. In many ways, the Democrats and Republicans are the same party. They both voted for this Orwellian set of restrictions on civil liberties known as the Patriot Act. I would encourage everyone to take ten seconds and sign the Monroe BORDC online petition to support defending the Bill of Rights. Thanks to the Monroe BORDC for pointing out the following about certain sections of the Patriot Act (I recommend contacting them for a more complete list)... Section 203 violates Amendment IV. It permits law enforcement to give the CIA sensitive information gathered in criminal investigations including wiretaps and internet tapping. No court order is required. CIA may share the information with other agencies and with foreign governments. Section 213 violates Amendment IV. It permits the government to search your home with no one present and to delay notification indefinitely. Court may authorize delay notification "if the court finds reasonable cause to believe that providing immediate notification...may have adverse results." Unlike the former "knock and announce" policy, a person whose home is to be searched cannot view the warrant to make sure the address is correct or to make sure that the agent adheres to the warrant's description of what is to be searched. Section 215 violates Amendment I. It permits the FBI director to seek records from bookstores and libraries of books that a person suspected of terrorism has purchased or read, or of his or her activities on a library's computer. It also places a gag order to prevent anyone from disclosing that they have been ordered to produce such documents. Puts people at risk for excercising their free speech rights to read, recommend or to discuss a book or to write an email. Also denies booksellers and library personnel the free speech right to inform anyone, including an attorney, that the FBI has asked for someone's reading list. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rump Group Responses 18 July 2005 I was contacted by the Rump Group to provide information on my mayoral campaign and ideas on several specific issues. Here are my answers to their questions. The responses from all the mayoral candidates will be published on their site in the near future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't let suburbanites own property in city 18 July 2005 The following is from my letter to the editor published in today's Democrat and Chronicle: In response to the July 11 letter "Let all who own land in city vote there," I would instead encourage all who own land in the city to live there. I think this is a better idea than letting the rich vote twice. I firmly believe in the president's suggestion that we should encourage an "ownership society." In my campaign for mayor, I offer the fresh idea that residential city property held by noncity residents should be turned over to the local tenants and neighborhood associations. Suburban landlords don't have to deal with the plywood curtains and lead paint on a daily basis. It would be far better for the community if residents owned their own homes. The "ownership society" can come about through offering young people homesteading options, providing just compensation for reclaimed properties and more direct private home sales. CHRIS MAJ ROCHESTER The writer has circulated petitions that would enable him to run for mayor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shut Out of the WHAM Debate 15 July 2005 Despite being on the front page of today's paper and multiple calls to WHAM to get on the show today, I'm getting the shaft. A friend called in to ask where I was (thanks, Paula :), and one of the co-hosts Bill Nojay made up a few quotes for me. I didn't hear the whole bit, so I can't quote exactly. Unfortunately, instead of being given the opportunity to participate and offer my ideas, I'm stuck on hold. This confirms part of my platform on transportation: Bill Nojay is a tool. Getting back to the point, the WHAM debate today was on crime. Over and over, the candidates offered the same solution, which was to get tough on crime by putting more police on the streets. But we need to get smart on crime. Shutting down drug houses one-by-one using violent actions is not the answer. It's more BS from the same failed pattern of thought that dominates the discussion. This War on Drugs is a failure. Shut down one drug house and another opens a block over. Why ? Because that's where the money is. We have to take the profit out of the operation. The arms race between the police and the dealers will continue until we recognize that simple fact. Spending a few million dollars to build another police station will only escalate the violence. I'm being hung up on now because the show is almost over. I've been offered a spot early next week on Lonsberry's regular broadcast after he gets back from vacation. We'll see. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAM Radio Debate Tomorrow 14 July 2005 By filing the necessary signatures to get on the ballot, I also earned a spot in tomorrow's debate on WHAM 1180 AM. The show airs from 11a-2p, Friday, July 15th. My fellow candidates and I are going to call in by phone. There should be press conference coverage on R-News (cable) all afternoon and tonight on Sinclair/Fox news at 10 on WUHF 31. They both attended this afternoon, along with WXXI 1370 AM public radio which airs news on the hour. WHAM is carring hourly coverage of a phone conversation I had with the news directory Randy Gorbman just before the press conference. And Joe Spector from the Democrat &amp; Chronicle includes me in the top of an overview of the primary petition filings. Harry Davis and I filed 1,500 signatures this afternoon before the five o'clock deadline. Only 1,000 were required for a spot on the ballot. UPDATE: This is awesome. The paper says I'm a liberal, and the radio says I'm a libertarian. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Bastille Day 14 July 2005 At today's press conference, I will deliver a brief speech (PDF) about turning our prisons into gardens and schools. There's lots to learn about green roofs and vertical farms. I think both offer unique opportunities for moving the city forward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petitioning Almost Over 12 July 2005 Harry Davis and I will be submitting our 1,000+ signatures for a spot on the September ballot at a 12 noon press conference on Thursday, July 14th, on the South Plymouth Avenue bridge over Route 490. The backdrop will be the last skyscraper to be built in Rochester for the past twenty years. That's right, the new jail. At a time when we are shutting down our schools, I will ask the question, "By closing schools and opening prisons, are we sending the wrong message to our children ?" Please join us. Also, if you have yet to return your petitions to me, please do so ASAP. Thanks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Debate Cancelled 11 July 2005 Due to concerns stemming from the shootings of two 12-year-olds over the weekend in the 14621 zip code -- one fatal, and one a girl seriously injured after being shot by police -- I was informed by the Group 14621 that the debate has been postponed indefinitely. This cycle of violence is destroying the city, and our prayers go out to the families of the victims. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My First Debate 11 July 2005 I will be doing my best to participate as a candidate in tonight's mayoral debate sponsored by the Group 14621 and held inside School #8 at 1180 St. Paul Street. It starts at 6:30, and I've gotten permission to attend and announce my presence. Although I might not be on the "official" panel, at least I will have the opportunity to answer questions from the audience and share my ideas to move the city forward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corn Hill Confusion 11 July 2005 Here's a quick heads-up to anyone planning to exercise free speech on the streets at the Corn Hill Arts Festival (CHAF) and appeal to the public for signatures: DON'T DO IT. While you will see lots of dogs and bicycles amidst the signs that say "no pets" and "no bikes," you won't see any signs that say "no soliciting" although it's not allowed. Strangely enough, I was allowed to solicit signatures on the street from 10-6 on Saturday, the first day of the festival. I was even asked by a member of CHAF management to move my portable lemonade stand back from the curb and onto the sidewalk. No problems there. I didn't pay for a stand, but I do live in the neighborhood so it was a fair compromise. By Sunday at 2:30 -- with the festival ending at 5 -- a couple other members of the CHAF management decided to change the rules. I was no longer going to be allowed to hand out my campaign card on the street -- a street closed to traffic all weekend. The CHAF ladies become verbally hostile after I requested to see the rule change in writing. They offered to provide it in writing on Monday. Even more bizarre was my brief discussion with a woman from the excellent organization Chill The Fill. They're working to get petition signatures to save the old subway from being filled in with dirt. Their bright yellow t-shirts with giant "chill the fill" in black letters really stick out in a crowd. However, the CHAF management wouldn't allow them to initiate contact with the public -- they could only respond to specific verbal requests from those passing by. Fortunately, it was a wonderful weekend overall. Friends, debates, and BBQs; with fond memories of the laughs and jokes shared among the fun people who were walking down my street. Here's a typical exchange with the many guests from out of town: "Hi, I'm Chris Maj and I'm running for mayor of Rochester." "Sorry, but we don't live in the city." "Well, thanks for visiting. Isn't it beautiful here ? When I get elected, you'll have to move back -- we've got plenty of room." laughter... "Thanks, we will !" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Smith Radio Show 7 July 2005 I'll be on WXXI 1370 AM tomorrow from 12-1 during Bob Smith's public affairs program. The show website is quite flattering in its description: "The latest (and most maverick) entrant into the mayor's race, Chris Maj." There is a live stream that I'm not able to get to work, but the broadcast is also replayed again starting at 9pm in case your Friday night needs a little spark. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rochester Royalty 4 July 2005 As we celebrate our independence from the monarchs of old, I think we've lost something in the blurring of the line between the elected head of the executive branch and the duties of a sovereign figurehead. The mayor should not spend his or her days cutting ribbons, handing out plaques, and holding shovels at construction sites. The mayor should be working -- instead of posing for cameras. I'm not saying we should bring back the Queen of England, but I think we can employ our own hometown royalty like Miss Greater Rochester or the Lilac Queen to represent the city at ostentatious and perfunctory events. Coupled with a modest salary, these positions would offer wonderful opportunities for showcasing Rochester on an international stage, in addition to attending local social happenings on behalf of the mayor's office. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People For A Better Bus Station 30 June 2005 Downtown revitalization is everybody's goal, but some plans for it seem to come from people who never actually go downtown. Currently, one such poorly planned project for which our local politicians are begging at the trough for pork money is the romantic Renaissance Square. It cobbles together a college campus, a performing arts center, and a bus station because this is the magic recipe for receiving federal transportation money. Unfortunately, the career politicians decided that this project should proceed without citizen feedback until the last throes of the architectual design phase. I don't think they would've allowed for even that much leeway if it weren't for the persistent efforts of the activist group People For A Better Bus Station. The PFABBS highlights several of the concerns and alternate solutions available for addressing Rochester's transportation needs. Personally, I don't understand the acoustic logic of putting a performing arts center directly above thirtysome busses. And who wants to breath all those exhaust fumes while waiting for a bus or a concert ? I think the money would be much better spent on building more sheltered bus stops around town -- at a fraction of the cost of tearing down a couple of skyscrapers and digging a huge hole underneath. I love Rochester's beautiful four seasons, but I rode the bus for several winters, and it's not fun waiting in a snow storm outside without shelter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harry Davis for City Council 28 June 2005 Harry Davis is a fellow Democrat running for an At-Large seat on the Rochester City Council. He and I met at the Public Market over the weekend, and we quickly struck a chord. Since we share and enjoy so many ideas, we've decided to combine our efforts during the primary campaign by placing both our names at the top of the nominating petitions. This makes a signature for one of us a signature for both of us. We agree on issues like the need for finding local renewable energy sources, the failure of the War on Drugs, and the need to re-plan the underground bus terminal. Harry's campaign website contains a very full autobiography highlighting his political experience. We both need one thousand signatures to get on the ballot, and we could definitely use your help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXTRA! EXTRA! 25 June 2005 Today's edition of the local Gannett daily the Democrat and Chronicle features a decorous article by local political reporter Joe Spector about my campaign. To show solidarity with Joe, I would encourage you to visit the site of the Newspaper Guild of Rochester -- the local reporters have been working without a collective bargaining agreement for the past twelve years. You can also sign their online petition to demonstrate your support. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eminent Domain 23 June 2005 The Supreme Court handed down a ruling today that re-affirms the rights of cities to take private land when it will benefit the public. Although spelled incorrectly in my platform, this practice of eminent domain is what I'm arguing for in regards to taking property from suburban landlords and giving it to the city tenants. Oddly, my idea does not get as radical as the Supreme Court ruling. As highlighted in the CNN/AP article, the accepted requirement for taking property seemed to be that it must be considered blighted. I wanted to open that definition to include property that people could care less about instead of waiting until it was completely run down into a crack house before doing something. This ruling goes well past that requirement. My opinion is that a suburban landlord cares about one thing from their city tenants -- making money. Since they aren't living next door and aren't forced to deal with the problems on a daily basis, then they ignore everything else -- except making money. Of course this doesn't mean every landlord is a slumlord, but in many cases, I think it would be a lot better if the two lived in the same neighborhood or at least the same city. Thanks to the Supreme Court ruling today, that idea -- that hurdle -- got a lot easier to cross. The challenge now lies in making sure that a government run by the people is in charge of redistributing land and not rich industrialists. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welfare and Sprawl 20 June 2005 Maggie Brooks is paying a private company $5 million of your tax dollars to move from Farmington to Henrietta because the government knows no shame. Why not move to the beautiful City of Rochester, where the company wouldn't need $5 million in corporate welfare to build a new building, but could instead occupy an empty building for much, much less ? I don't understand folks who gut social welfare programs that help people in favor of paying CEOs of giant transnational corporations to build a new building or two every few years. The only way it makes sense is if some of that money gets back into their own pockets. For the most part, the money is gone and will never again move thru the community. And next year, Ontario County will cough up $6 million for Unisys to lure them right back. If they beg enough in Albany, maybe they'll get really lucky and New York State will fork over half the extortion fee for them. Where's the invisible hand ? Is this the free market or state sponsored capitalism ? I think giving away tax money to companies to create jobs hurts us in the long run. At the very least, the companies on the dole must accept some form of public control of their operations. We already do that for social welfare and corporate welfare is no different. You can't stay on unemployment unless you're looking for a job and you can't keep getting food stamps if you make too much money. Companies should have to pay back what they took (with interest) and allow inspectors to monitor their finances to prevent the money from being spent recklessly. After all, it's your money ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brother Wease mp3 downloads 16 June 2005 Here's some low-quality mp3 clips from this morning's radio show with Brother Wease: part1 part2. I was on the air for almost an hour and a half, but I didn't say much in the last half hour because there were lots of other guests, so that's not included in these downloads. I burned some CDs with much better quality audio, too. Overall, my platform met fairly positive reception -- although it seemed a little touch-and-go at the beginning. We started with sprawl and controversy ensued over the re-appropriation of slum lord land holdings, but this is a fairly controversial point. Then Skippy from Family Ties called in to the show to talk to Brother Wease, so that was of course quite an event. The remaining minutes of the first half hour moved onto crime and drug prohibition, briefly to transportation, and then fiscal policies, in particular, taxing of sex workers. I managed to plug the website right before I thought I was to leave, but Brother Wease said I could stay longer. The second half hour features a very confused caller who strives for moralistically (sic) sound government. Everyone takes turns pouncing on this marshmallow debater, and I get to sneak in a few jabs against that fuck nut in the White House, too :) Guests started piling in for the last half hour, and there was really no more discussion of my campaign. I managed to weigh in with my preference for Montel over Oprah, made a claim that Lyndsay Lohan (sp? cause I care) was manufactured by Disney, and joined a little light discussion of hobby model rocketry. Hopefully, I'll get invited back after the campaign moves a little further along. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 June 2005 I'll be on Radio Free Wease Thursday morning, June 16, at 7:30 to talk about the campaign. For viewers outside the Rochester area, although I don't think there's a live audio stream, you can watch the studio web cam at the above link. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 June 2005 Perennial city council member and mayoral candidate Tim Mains decided yesterday that he supports a casino at High Falls inside the old Beebee station power plant. Of course, watching the city slide backwards for the past twenty years he's been in office gave him a lot of time to think about silly ideas like this. What kind of crazy wants to sit at a slot machine inside a smoke stack ? Is the factory atmosphere something that recreational gamblers enjoy or will it just remind them of where they used to work before all the jobs left town ? Beebee station once made power, and it can do it again. We can re-use the plant as a municipal hydrogen fuel cell production facility to fuel cars with water instead of gas, make Rochester energy independent, and create high-paying industrial jobs. According to researchers at RIT, "its renovation for hydropower production via a restored water wheel and generator could feed a fuel cell electrolyzer, which converts water into hydrogen and oxygen." By creating our own renewable energy, we can stop relying on forty-year-old nuclear reactors and oil-soaked military dictatorships. Turning Rochester into a self-sufficient city must be the goal of city government -- and that requires energy independence. It's time to let the mighty Genesee spin our wheels again by turning water into power. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 June 2005 Fellow mayoral hopeful Wade Norwood was attacking another contender yesterday, Bob Duffy, over the latter's re-organization of the police force. Norwood thinks it made the city less safe. "Bob Duffy's decision to close police stations for Rochester was wrong," says Norwood. What's actually making Rochester less safe are career politicians like Norwood and Duffy. Their elitism leaves no room for looking beyond their own egos. What the city needs is another perspective -- a fresh point of view. And to start off fresh, the city needs to reconsider the parameters around the debate about crime. Obviously, whether the rate is up or down, the general consensus is that less is better than more. That's where we've got to start, yet the current discussion is not at that place. It's not from there; it's from far beyond the petty soundbites of the other candidates. In the latest Norwood-Duffy cat fight over in Swillburg, it would seem appropriate to start some questioning with a victimless crime: Does crime include phsyical, mental, property damage, a combination, or something else entirely ? When a citizen solicits the services of a sex worker, and both parties consent freely to the business transaction, how is it the government's business to label that a crime ? What are the trade offs when we pay lip service to taking freedom away from another life -- even if it's justified, who pays for cable TV in prison ? Why should we waste limited city police resources enforcing moral standards on the general population ? For example, if Rochester were to tax and regulate the adult entertainment industry, it would be a tremendous boon to the economy. The revenue could provide health care for those involved with and doing business in the industry. With regulation, it would be much safer for everyone involved, in particular with respect to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases beyond the tax-paying customers. With proper marketing, it could provide opportunities for discrete tourism from Toronto and draw suburban residents back into the community because it's safer here to do business. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 June 2005 Signature collection begins for the primary elections. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 June 2005 Website launched. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pronunciation Guide: Maj == May == Mayor</font></strong></p>